2017 Northcote state by-election
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The Electoral district of Northcote in the Legislative Assembly of Victoria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Turnout | 79.0%  11.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Location of the electoral district of Northcote, in Melbourne's inner northern suburbs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A by-election for the seat of Northcote in the Victorian Legislative Assembly was held on 18 November 2017. The by-election was triggered by the death of Labor Party MP Fiona Richardson on 23 August 2017.[1] While the seat historically has firmly been in the Labor Party's hands since its inception in 1927, environmental issues, rising house prices and demographic trends have resulted in a stronger Greens vote at recent elections.[2] The Liberal Party elected not to field a candidate.[2]
The seat was won by the Greens on a swing of more than 11.5%. ABC election expert Antony Green called the seat for the Greens at 8.30 pm on the night of the count.[3] Greens candidate Lidia Thorpe became the first female Aboriginal MP in the Victorian Parliament as a result of the victory and the Greens increased their representation in the Legislative Assembly to three MPs.[3]
Background
[edit]The by-election was called following the death of former Labor member for the district and Minister for Women, Fiona Richardson. Having taken medical leave from Parliament on 7 August 2017, she died in office on 23 August. This triggered a vacancy in the seat, with writs for election being issued by the Assembly Speaker, Colin Brooks.
Candidates
[edit]A total of 12 candidates were declared nominated by the VEC. The Liberal Party decided against fielding a candidate.
| 12 candidates in ballot paper order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Background | |
| Independent | Russell Hayward | Preston resident and executive-level manager in welfare and disability sectors. | |
| Independent | Brian Sanaghan | Former Northcote Councillor in 1970s, later expelled for refusing to take oath to Queen. | |
| Greens | Lidia Thorpe | Gunnai-Gunditjmara businesswoman.[4] | |
| Animal Justice | Nina Lenk | Animal activist and party Northern Metropolitan Manager. | |
| Independent | Laura Chipp | Daughter of Don Chipp, former leader of the Australian Democrats. Endorsed by the unregistered Reason Party (formerly known as the Australian Sex Party).[5] | |
| Independent | Philip Cooper | Yorta Yorta elder with 40 years' experience in Aboriginal community affairs. | |
| Liberal Democrats | Dean Rossiter | Student at La Trobe University. | |
| Labor | Clare Burns | Speech pathologist and union official.[6] | |
| Independent | Joseph Toscano | Medical practitioner, broadcaster and anarchist activist. | |
| Independent | Bryony Edwards | Previously worked in human services policy making and community development. | |
| Independent | Nevena Spirovska | Freelance writer. | |
| Independent | Vince Fontana | Former Darebin councillor and mayor.[7] | |
Results
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greens | Lidia Thorpe | 16,319 | 45.2 | +8.9 | |
| Labor | Clare Burns | 12,779 | 35.4 | −5.6 | |
| Independent | Vince Fontana | 1,864 | 5.2 | +5.2 | |
| Liberal Democrats | Dean Rossiter | 1,497 | 4.1 | +4.1 | |
| Independent Reason | Laura Chipp | 1,152 | 3.2 | +3.2 | |
| Animal Justice | Nina Lenk | 773 | 2.1 | +0.4 | |
| Independent | Philip Cooper | 436 | 1.2 | +1.2 | |
| Independent | Russell Hayward | 360 | 1.0 | +1.0 | |
| Independent | Joseph Toscano | 331 | 0.9 | +0.9 | |
| Independent | Nevena Spirovska | 215 | 0.6 | +0.6 | |
| Independent | Brian Sanaghan | 208 | 0.6 | +0.6 | |
| Save The Planet | Bryony Edwards | 54 | 0.4 | −0.4 | |
| Total formal votes | 36,088 | 94.9 | −0.9 | ||
| Informal votes | 1,940 | 5.1 | +0.9 | ||
| Turnout | 38,028 | 79.0 | −12.6 | ||
| Two-candidate-preferred result | |||||
| Greens | Lidia Thorpe | 20,137 | 55.6 | +11.6 | |
| Labor | Clare Burns | 16,080 | 44.4 | −11.6 | |
| After distribution of preferences | |||||
| Greens | Lidia Thorpe | 18,380 | 50.9 | N/A | |
| Labor | Clare Burns | 14,410 | 39.9 | N/A | |
| Independent | Vince Fontana | 3,298 | 9.1 | N/A | |
| Greens gain from Labor | Swing | +11.6 | |||
The VEC stops distributing preferences when a candidate reaches over 50 per cent of the vote. An indicative two-candidate-preferred count had Lidia Thorpe (Greens) on 20,137 votes (55.6%) to Clare Burns (Labor) on 16,080 votes (44.4%)—a swing of 11.6 percentage points to the Greens.[9]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Towell, Noel (21 September 2017). "Northcote byelection: Mid-November date set for critical battle in inner north". The Age.
- ^ a b "Northcote by-election could see Greens knock out Labor, ALP polling shows". ABC News. 31 October 2017.
- ^ a b "Northcote by-election: Greens win inner-city seat, Thorpe to become first female Aboriginal MP". ABC News. 18 November 2017.
- ^ Towell, Noel; Preiss, Benjamin (11 September 2017). "Northcote byelection: Greens pick their woman for key battle of the north". The Age. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Preiss, Benjamin (8 October 2017). "Laura Chipp hopes to usher in age of reason in Northcote". The Age. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ Preiss, Benjamin (7 September 2017). "Political organiser Clare Burns to stand as Labor candidate in Northcote by-election". The Age. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
- ^ Green, Antony. "2017 Northcote by-election – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)". Retrieved 9 October 2017.
- ^ State District By-elections 2017: Northcote District, VEC.
- ^ "Northcote District By-election 2017 : Northcote District Two Candidate Preferred Results by Voting Centre". Victorian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 November 2017.